You may have considered leaving an inheritance to someone close to you—a child, a sibling, or perhaps your best friend. While it’s nice to know that you might make someone’s life a little easier by giving him or her money, real estate, or personal property, it’s also daunting to figure out how to go about [...]
When I explored a career in taxes, I was promised that I could earn a year’s income by working just three or four months out of the year. That was a lie. The truth is, issues come up year-round, especially since the IRS discovered computers. With all the agency’s clever cross-matching programs that now exist, [...]
Many seniors (or their adult children) have to confront the reality that they can no longer live independently in their home. Moving into an assisted living community may be an attractive option, but choosing—and paying for—the right facility can seem overwhelming. The move to assisted living requires careful planning. It’s important to ensure you’re getting [...]
Many Americans will need the services of a long-term care provider as they get older. Unfortunately, Medicare and private health insurance companies do not cover assisted living facilities and private home care agencies, and many seniors quickly deplete their funds paying for care. There is no one way for you to predict whether you will [...]
Your life probably doesn’t revolve around taxes the way mine does. I’ll bet you spend time keeping up with friends and family, enjoying your hobbies, and taking trips—all without thinking about taxes. No matter how full and wonderful your life is, though, taxes still manage to intrude. And if you simply ignore them, they will [...]
In today’s difficult post-Great Recession economy, I find that more of my clients are renting out their single-family homes. This allows them to move to a smaller place so that they can make ends meet or save money for the future more easily. Some of my clients who have second homes are also renting those [...]
The mortgage interest tax deduction is one of the big perks of homeownership. There’s a limit to how much you may deduct, though, and deducting more than your fair share could put you at risk of an audit. You may only deduct mortgage interest if the debt is secured by your main or second home, [...]
Now that prices are rising and the number of homeowners defaulting on their mortgages has slowed to a trickle, you might think it’s impossible to find a deal on a foreclosure. There’s no doubt the foreclosure picture has changed dramatically in the past two years, but there are still many discounted properties available if you [...]
You’ve just spent a good chunk of change on a fancy smartphone, and the salesperson paints you a picture of everything that could happen to your shiny new device. You could drop it on a concrete floor and shatter the screen. You could drop it in the toilet (don’t laugh—a colleague of mine just admitted [...]
If you have ever been involved in an automobile accident, you probably remember how flustered you were after the initial impact. In the event of even a minor collision, it can be difficult to remember what your course of action should be. Calling the police should be your first step. After that, here are a [...]
